Life in the Gran Canaria fast lane a breeze for part-time and professional cyclists alike
Not for nothing has this Spanish outpost, just off the coast of Africa, become a home-from-home for professional cyclists in recent years
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.My legs feel like they are going to explode.
I cannot even content myself with the knowledge that there's only a little bit of the hill to go, either: it snakes away up around the cliff to peaks as yet unknown. The way Paolo, our affable (and, it must be said, generously-thighed) guide on this odyssey, is gliding along, this could easily just be the gentle run-up.
"What gradient is this?" I manage to splutter in his direction. I don't know which number I'm expecting, but it's definitely far higher and significantly more heroic than the 7 per cent he quotes me.
Luckily, solace is literally just around the corner. At the crest of the slope, we stop at the side of the road for a view that makes all the effort worthwhile. Our vantage point offers us a breathtaking vista of the Gran Canaria coastline we have been battling with for the last hour: the sheer rock faces, the swooping hills and, twinkling away below us like a mirage, the Atlantic. The tiredness quickly subsides.
Not for nothing has this Spanish outpost, just off the coast of Africa, become a home-from-home for professional cyclists in recent years. There are hills for the climbers, smooth roads for the punchy sprinters and all-year-round sunshine for everyone. Famous names like Alberto Contador have set up camp here in recent years and now aspiring amateurs can have a go too, courtesy of Anfi Group's Sporting Ambassador Experience Package.
For a part-time London cyclist like me, it's a trip into another world – and not just because, away from the beaches, rocky Gran Canaria sometimes resembles a moon colony. In stark contrast with the UK, motorists here are uniformly patient with their two-wheeled road partners, waiting for us on every blind bend and even offering kind waves of encouragement.
"People know that cycling equals money on this island," explains Paolo. The point is brought home when he informs me that the set-up I'm riding would cost over £10,000 to buy new. I shudder thinking about how much more I'd be sweating if I had taken on that hill on a Boris bike.
Happily, the way back to Tinkoff Bike Academy HQ, nestled next to the pristine golf course at the Anfi Tauro resort, is largely downhill. I'm told the pros can hit 100kph on these slopes, but I opt to preserve my need for speed for later in the day, when we head for a spot of go-karting. At least that's the idea: my performance on the track is less Sebastian Vettel and more put-on-the-kettle. I'm thankful that Mads Østberg, the world rally champion who has recently joined the roster of Anfi ambassadors, is not watching.
There's no time for the licking of wounds, however, with another sport to tackle. We zip up the coast to Pozo Izquierdo, an exposed bay that attracts windsurfers from around the world with its warm waters and gusty bluster. Under the watchful eye of Daida Moreno, a multiple world champion who trains here with twin sister Iballa, we're given a quick crash course in the basics on land before splashing in to give it a go.
It is, predictably, much harder than the experts make it look. But our instructors are saint-patient and slowly – very, very slowly – we go from rank novices to... well, rank novices who can get up and standing once in a while. We leave the water shattered but proud.
Moreno, who has spent the last couple of hours watching our progress and taking pictures on her phone, declares herself impressed. It's pure politeness, of course, and we can only dream of taking to any sport like she took to windsurfing: incredibly, she only tried it for the first time at 17; she won her first global title just two years later. It would be sickening if she wasn't so friendly.
With body broken but soul basking in a warm adrenaline glow, it's back to Gran Club Anfi for one last activity: lazily basking by the pool. I'm an OK cyclist, a mediocre windsurfer and clearly a terrible racing driver, but no one can deny my status as a world-class sunbather.
Anfi Group's Sporting Ambassador Experience Packages are dependent on date and time booked* and can be arranged through the Anfi vacation team after booking at least seven days' stay at Anfi’s luxury accommodation.
*Indicative prices are available on request.
To book:
Tel: 0034 928 152 990 – option 4
Email: specialoffers@anfi.e
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments